Napping machine



' Feb.

"lllll Hum J. E. KELSO NA'PPING MACHINE Filed Sept. 29, 1927 mmmu R lllllllllllllllllllllllll 4 SheetsSheet 1 'INVENTO Al 5ATI'ORNEY Feb. 19, 1929.

J. E. KELSO NAPPING MACHINE Filed Sept. 29, 1927 I 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR J cfanwsZfiZso Wm %zisATToRNEY Feb. 19, 1929.

J. E. KELSO NAPPING MACHINE Filed Sept. 29, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR M %Z"$ATTORNEY Patented F eb. 19,1929.

1,702,696 NITED STATES PATENT OFFJ CE;

JAMES E. xnnsmor ROCHESTER, NEW, YORK.

I MARKING Application'filed September travel of the fabric that the nap is restored in asatistactory manner without wearing away a substantial part of the fabri asis done in machines heretofore known, I

A further object ofthe invention is to provide a napping machine with novel mechaf nism for adjusting onenapping roll with respect to another roll, so as to vary the space between the rolls in order to accommodate fabrics of different thicknesses. 1 1

An additional object of the invention is to provide a generally improved nappingma-' chine in which there is practically no discharge of lint, and wh'ic'hwill operate more satisfactorily than any of'the device s here tot'ore used.

lVit-h these and other ends in view,the in.- vention comprises the structure and combination of parts which will appear more clearly from thB'IOllOWiIlg description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the novel features being pointed out inthe claims following the description.

In the drawings: j ljigure 1 is a plan illustrating one po. embodiment of th achinc; I r

elevation thereof;

ale

6 ii Fit e 2 is front Figure 3 is an elevation of thelcft hand cnd'oi the machine;

Figure 4% a cross-section taken centrally through then'iachine, illustrating the nap ping, rolls, the feeding roll, thetabric guidng means, and apiece of fabric being fed through the machine;-

Figure 5' is an. elevation end of the niacl'iine, and p v F i gure 6 is sectional view, takenappro 'imatcly on the line 6- 6 of Figure 3, illustrating t-heconstructio-n of a movable bearing); to

it i

of the right ha n d It is well known to those acquainted with the behavior 'of fabrics, such as woolen blankets that wear and various causes, such as washing, result in flattening'the nap so thatit liesdown againstthe body of theifabric instead otstanding out Variousmeans adjustment of oneof the napping.

MACHINE. 1

29, [1927, Serial No. 222794.

have been proposed heretofore to restore the nap, but all of these means, so far as known,

have defects of one kind or another. According, to the present invention, however, mechanism is provided which will'restore-the nap satisfactorily and quickly, without loss not material or damage to the fabric.

In one possible embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawin 's accom an 1- ing this application, there is provided at eachend, of the machine a framework comprising vertical n'iembers 11 and 12', which constitute the legs on which the machine rests, and which are connected to each other at their tops by suitable cross pieces such as '13; At each end of the machine, and somewhat below the-top, cross piece 13,'i-s a supporting member 14, which may be in the nature of a horizontally disposed angle iron. Journalled in' suitable bearings 15 fixed to the supportrng members Mnear the front ofthe-machine, s a shaft 16 carrying nap 'iing; roll 17. This napping roll, 'as illn-strated in Figures 3 and 4-, is of cylindrical form, and consi-sts'essem ti'ally of a cylind -rical base on which are secured large numbers otfine wires extending radia ly outward fromthe base. These wires I are intended to be-all-of the sam'elength so that their outer ends are allequi-distant from the axis of the cylinder. 1

On each oi'the. supporting inembersl l, and

slightly behind the bearingjliis a m-ova-bly mr-i'unted' bearing 21, best illustrated in Fig 'uresS andG. These bear are so'arranged that theyiirmy be slid!longitudinally along the support FigureG, eachbearing comp l in engagement w'th one of the fla supportii'rg r in contact w I porting member, and a portion-2%extending around and embracing-thetree edge of 'oneot sees a portion 22 s of the the flanges on the supportingmembeix, As

will be readily apparent from Figure'fi, this constructionholds the bearing from transing'n-iembers 14., shown in,

iei'nhers '14, another pc tionfilffi 1 the other flange of the -:-urp-.

verse displacement and yet permits it tom-eve.

I longitudinally alongthe supportiiig member. V In these movable-bearings 21 is journalled oil 27 a shaltQG carrying a second napp'i similar inall respects to the nappingrollfi' above described. Tlhis napping roll, as will be seen from Figure 3, is'para l lel-to and slightly spaced from the first napping" roll. 7 Themountmg of-the second roll 1ninwvable a bodily bearings permits this roll to be mov toward or away from the first napping roll,

. tween the two rolls.

- between the two napping rolls,

shown, a member 4C2 is In order to move the adjustable napping roll bodily, various means might be employed.

In the embodiment here shown, a resilient member such the spring is attael'ied at one end to each of the movable bearings 21, and at the other end to a part of the framework of the machine. These resilient members 3O exert a constant pull tending to move the bearings 21 and the napping roll 27 in a direction away from the first napping roll 17.

To oppose this tendency and to hold the roll 27 at the desired distance from the roll 17, means may be employed, such the links 31, one end of each link being pivotally eonnected to the movable bearing 21, and the other end being connected to an arm on a shaft 83 extending along the front otthe machine, as shown especiallyin Figures 2 and 3. Another arm 34. may be fired to this shaft, and to this arm may be secured a threaded member 35, as shownin Figure 3, on which is placed a nut 36 having a hand wheel 37 formed thereon.

It is obvious from an inspection of ti drawings that rotation of the hand wheel 3 in the proper direction will draw the threaded member 85 so as to turn the shaft 33 in a clockwise direction, when viewed as in Figure 3. This will result in moving the arms 32 to draw the links 31 so as to move the bearings 21 against the tension. of the resilient member 30. Thus the roll 2'? may be brought as close as desired to the roll 17.

Mounted in suitable bearings somewhat above the'napping rolls 17 and 27, there may be provided a feeding roll 40 for feeding the fabric at the desired rate through the ma :hine, and provided with fine wires for engagement with the surface of a blanket, the

same as the napping rolls and as shown in In. order toforce the fabric to pass and to prevent it from clinging to the face of the feeding roll, guiding means such as the bolts 41 may be employed; In the embodiment here placed parallel to the from the shown in Figure 4i.

axis of the rolls, and slightly away periphery of the feeding roll, as

' Figure 4. The belts 4-1, which may be strings or bands, extend around the feeding roll lO and the member 42, as clearly shown in the drawings, and as the feeding roll turns, the bolts 41 move with it and slide over the niiember 42. It will be understood that number of these belts e1 are spaced at intervals throughout the length of the feeding roll, as indicated in Figures 1 and 2.

Additional guidingmeans may be used to insure that the fabric shall. travel in the right direction. For instance, a member suchas a rod or stiff Wire 43 Figures 3 and 4;) maybe placed below the napping rolls, and wires 44,- may be stretched at intervals between the members 42 and 4:8-' Similarly, other rods 45, 4:6, and 47 may be fixed to the machine, and wires 48 may be over these rods.

From this construction it will be seen that as the fabric is fed along by the feeding roll 40, the guiding means ll prevents it from adhering to the surface of the roll andforces it to the left of the member 42, when viewed from the direction of Figure 4,. The guiding wires a l and d8 then serve to guide the fabric into the space between the two napping rolls the frame of stretched 1 and 27, and the lower ends of these wires guide the fabric as it emerges from the rolls.

and keep it from becoming wound around either one of them.

To drive the feeding roll and the napping rolls, any suitable arrangement may be employed. For instance, a driving shaft 50 may be iournalled near the bottom of the machine, this shaft being driven in any desired manher. As shown in Figure 5, this driving shaft 50 may have a sprocket 51 fixed thereto which,

by means of a chain 52, may d ive a sprocket 53 on the shaft 16 of the napping roll 17. Tue shaft 16 carry also a spur gear 545 meshing with a similar gear 55 on the shaft 26 of the other napping roll 27. It will be recalled from the foregoing description that the roll 27 is movable bodily toward or away from the roll 17. It should be understood, however, that this adjusting movement, in practice, is of comparatively slight extent, and the spur gears 5i .and 55.niay therefore be construct-ed with teeth sufficiently long so that they will mesh effectively when the napping rolls are so placed as to have either the m i The feeding'roll eOinay be driven, for example, in the manner shown in Figure 3. A sprocket '56 may be fixed to the shaft 16 and may drive, through the ch 57, a'sproclmt on the shaft of the feeding roll. it will be noted rem the di awings that the spree {et 56 is of smaller diameterthanthe sgn'oclwt 58, and therefore the feeding roll will rotate at a slower rate than the napping roll. Fu

i thei-n'iore. the feedin roll of somewh ess I diameter than the napping roll, andtiercfore, the p ipheral speed of the feeding roll for any g-ven speed of rotationwill be than it would be if the feeding roll were of the same diameter as the napping roll. Hence, it is apparent that the rate of travel of the fabric vhen fed forward by the feed ing roll willbe somewhat less than the peripheral speed of the napping rolls.

Xnnum or minimum spacing between them,

lll)

some machines'it has been necessary to provide fans or other means for removing the large quantities of lint worn away from the surface of the fabric.

As distinguished fromthis burnishing .ac tion in prior machines, which damages the fabric to a considerable extent, the machine constructed according to the present invention brushes lightly and gently over the surface of the fabric and raises the nap effectively without wearing away any consider able portion of the material. It is not necessary to provide fans or any other mechanism for removing lint, because there is practically no lintproduced in the operationof this ma} chine.

One reason for the distinctly superior re sults produced by th s machine is the com paratively slow rotation of the napping rolls with respect to the travel of the fabric There is nothing like the-burnishing and must necessarily beused. The invention contem lates wide variations in the ratio of napping roll speed to feeding roll speed, and it should be understood that the use is contemplated of any speed which willlift the nap without removing any of it and wearing away the fabric.

Another reason for thesuperior results obtaad by the present machine is the fact (as l) l e napping rolls may be adjusted so as to have between then: a clear space slightly less than the thickness of the fabric being .re applied to it by the other roll. 0 line wires fornnng the working sur= 4 he rollsare somewhat flexible, the

fabric is l i of the napping r lls. gentle action of the rolls, which raises the nap better and has practically notendency to wear away the bricp In the machines heretofore commonly usedfthe' fabric has been held in contact with thenapping roll by a hard, unyielding member, and this has y'eidingly against the surface been one of thereasons why the napping roll had a harsh, clawing action; on the fabric, and wore it away.

By rotation of the hand-wheel 37 above described, the spacing of the-nappmgirolls v may be varied from tnneto tnnesoasto give 'nappln ){t upon. Furthermore, the fabric contact with each of the'rolls only by spaced members 1,

' and between them a ntly resilient,-and therefore the This-resultsin a more the best possible results on each different thickness of fabric run through the machine. The clear space between the rolls should ordinarily be slightly less than the thickness of the fabric, so that the ends of the wires on the rolls will not dig deeply into the fabric,,but will simply brush lightly over the surface of it, in order to lift the nap and cause it to stand out in the manner desired.

To hold the fabric conveniently while it is beingfed through the device, a trough 60 may be attached to the front of the machine,

' and a feed board 61 may be placed abovc'it,

near the feed roll 4:0. The useof this feed board, as well as the action of the machine upon the fabric, clearly illustrated in FigurelQ It will be seen that the layer of-fabric 62' is led upv from the trough 60, over the edge of the feed board. (51, and along the top surface of the board to the feed roll 40'. Here it is caught by the rotating'roll and moved along. The belts41-and the wires 44- i and 48serveto-guide the fabric into the space between the two napping rolls 17 and 27.

The ends of the fine wireson these rolls are moving slightly faster than the fabric, and t1 ey brushlightly over opposite sides thereof, raising the nap on both sides. The fabric then emerges from the rolls restored, as indicated at 63.

WVhile one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it is to "be understood that the inventive idea may be carriedout in a numher of ways. This applicationis therefore notto be limited to the precise details shown,

but is intended to cover all modifications thereof falling within the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims. I claim: d p 1. In a napping machine, the combination "with a na 3 in roll of a second na in roll ,p! llel to and aced from said first roll, a .iledingroll par el to and oac' iron] said rolls, said napping c.1113 rotatable at a slightly greater peripheral speed than that of said f c all cl g L guiding'belt extending around sail, c

roll and one of said members, and guid n'leans extending from each of said members in such a direction as to guide a piece of with the nap edin roll, a plurality of ng rolls mg i fabric from said feeding roll to said napping rolls so as to cause it to pass through the spaccbetween said rolls.- p

2. In a napping machine, the-combination with a plurality of substantially parallel supporting members, of a bearing movable along sell of said supporting me1nbers, a shaft journz-illed in said movable bearings, ,a rappingi'oll carriedby said sha t, res tending to move one of saidbearlngs mone ent means directiomashaft substantially perpendicular to said supporting members, a pluralityl of' anns on said'shaft," connecting members con.-

necting each of said movable bearings with one of said arms, and means for moving said arms so as to draw said movable bearings in direction. opposite to that in which said resilient means tends to move them.

A blanket napping machine comprising a pairoii napping rolls each having yieldable blanket engaging wires and disposed in the same horizontal plane and a feeding roll hav ing yieldable blanket engaging wires, the feedin roll being disposed above the napping rolls and operating to feed and suspend a blanks in a vertical plane directly from the .ieeding roll to the napping rolls.

4-,. ii blanket napping machine comprising a pair of napping rolls each having yieldablc blanket engaging wiris and arr nged in the .i'z -rme horizontal. plane, the wires on one napping roll being spa red from the wires on the other roll slightly less than the tl. noes of a blanket, and a feeding roll located above the nrpping rolls and having blanket engaging wires for feeding a single blanket from a point above the rolls downwardly between the napping rolls while suspended in a vertical plane. I

5. A blanket. napping machine comprising a pair of napping rolls each having yieldable blanket engaging wires and arranged in a horizontal plane with the wires on one napping roll spaced from the wi on the other napping roll sligl loss than the thickness oi a blanket, and a blanket "feeding roll havyieldable blanket engaging wires and aranged above the nappii i lls and operable ".0 feed a single blanket directly to the nap- )ing rolls while suspended in a vertical plane iherebetween.

8. A. blanket napping machine comprising 1 napi ing rolls each having yieldable .t engagiig wires and arranged in the l 'orizontal plane and operable to lift the or a blanket simultaneously on-both sides l d a iltnket 'leeding roll having; in wires for ieedinl." vnmirdly bet-ween tire )he 'al speeds of the l i i .q {pin in gem ent oi "feeding roll and napping rolls be]; such that the nap on both surfaces oi a single blanket can 3e raised at 2 single operation without removin nnv substantial part of the nap.

a. blanket na iping machine, the coma no. iping roll having yield- .alanket engaging wires, ot a second in proll havin :3 ieldable blanket engaging; 1 ar spaced from the wires on the itioned roll slightly less than'the of a blanket, and a feeding roll lore the napping rolls and having blanket engaging wires acting to 1 le blai ket downwardly between mei th i cknecs c ated abo yieldabk feed a 8. In a blanket napping machine, the combination with a napping roll having yieldabl'e the nappins rolls.

blanket engaging; wires, ofa second napping roll having yieldable blanket engaging wires and spaced from the first named roll in the same horizontal plane, and a feeding cated above the napping rolls and having; yieldable blanl ct engaging wires acting to feed a blanket downwardly between thenap ping rolls, said blanket being freely suspended between' the napping rells by the feeding roll and held in contec with the wires of each of .e-id napping r is by the pressure of the wires on the other napping roll.

5.). in: bli'in roll 10- i ket napping; machine he combination with a blanket tccdirg: roll having yieldable blanket engaging wires, of a air of 'relis each lll\lll,r vieldable b-lan i ns HQi an l V l in a jester toward a blanket while the latter l suspended by the rec-ding roll.

10. In a blanket naoping machine, the combination with blanket feeding roll havinn; yieldable blan engag" i wires. or a pair of napping rolls ea ha ing yieldable blanket e11 'ing wires l. 11 and arranged in a horizontal plane beneath the "feeding roll'to receive a. his .ket suspended iron the feeding OH in vertical plane, one or said napping rolls being-g; bodily norable horizontally,

means consta tending}; to move said roll bodily away from the blanket, and adjustable means op osin said tendency of the roll to more dily wher y said roll may be :ed toward, a blanket suspewl eedin rol.

'ng' machine, the combination gianroll having i3 wires, of a second i lable blanket enbodily.movable in the same horizontal plane tower; and away from said first llllplllilg roll, resilient means tending; to move away from the first roll, adjustable means or opposing said resilient means whereby tl second napping ie roll may be held in any adjusted position with respect to roll, and a feeding roll having yieldable blanket engaging wires and located aoove thenapping rolls for SEEK/Gliding and feeding a blanket downwardly between thenapping rolls.

12. In a blanketnepping machine,

yieldable blanket engaging wires. of a secthe 1 combination with a napping roll having,

er'igaging wires and arranged parallel to and for guiding zi blanket from the feeding r011 spaced from the said roll in the same h rito the napping rolls so that the blanket as zontal plane, a feeding r011 having yieldable it leaves the feeding r011 can move freely 10 blanket engaging wiresend located above downwardly between the napping rolls.

the napping rolls, the feeding r011 being ro- I In Witness whereof, I have hereunto signed tzi'table at a peripheral speed slightly less my name.

than that of the napping rolls, and means JAMES E. KELSO. 

